When Katie Falbo and her partner, Cody, started posting on their Instagram account to resell vintage furniture in 2018, they never anticipated building a community of over 120,000 followers who now look to their home for inspiration. Initially focused on staging shots to showcase pieces for sale, Katie soon began sharing glimpses of the rest of their home. Followers quickly fell for the charm of their 1923 apartment, filled with bold colors, lush plants, and carefully sourced vintage decor. It’s the kind of home that, even through an Instagram photo, instantly tells a story about the people who live there. From the music memorabilia adorning the walls to the travel mementos displayed throughout, their cool, eclectic apartment reflects Katie and Cody’s personalities and passions. Keep reading for a tour of the apartment, plus Katie’s tips on scoring the best secondhand finds and creating a home that truly reflects your individual style.
Katie Falbo’s Los Angeles Apartment Tour
The details:
Name: Katie Falbo
Location: Los Angeles, California
Square footage: 750 square feet
Rent/Own: Rent
Your journey in home decor began with furniture flipping in 2018 and has since grown to a platform with over 120,000 followers. How did you build this following and transition from a hobby to a career?
When my partner Cody and I started reselling vintage furniture in 2018, I thought, “Why don’t we stage the furniture in our home to show people how great it could look in theirs?” Cody was responsible for refurbishing the furniture, while I took charge of staging, styling, photographing, and posting it. In between posting listing photos, I shared glimpses into the rest of our apartment and honed in on my content creation skills. This organically grew our customer base locally, but it also grew our overall following.
Over the next few years of selling furniture to pay bills and posting very consistently, I was able to secure our first brand partnership. Soon after, the income from brand partnerships surpassed that of selling furniture, and I was able to focus solely on content creation and growing our interior decorating business!
Your apartment was built in 1923 and has so much character. What drew you to this space in particular when searching for a place to live?
I remember finding it on Craigslist, and it was the perfect price and location. However, the photos were terrible and barely showed any of the rooms. Because of this, I was intrigued and had my partner Cody go look for us (I was on tour as a professional dancer at the time). Once he saw the arches, he instantly applied, and I came home from tour to our new apartment. It sounds corny, but I just had a good feeling about this place!
The architectural features of your apartment, like the beautiful archways in your entryway and living room, add so much charm. How did these existing features influence your decorating choices?
Our building is Spanish style and has so many great architectural details, like arches and casement windows. It’s 100 years old, so naturally, we embraced the vintage aesthetic. I personally love eclectic interiors, so the juxtaposition of mid-century modern furniture in a Spanish-style apartment was the perfect jumping-off point for decorating.
From your olive green couch to your blue rug, you clearly love incorporating color. How do you balance using lots of color in your home without it feeling overwhelming?
I love bold splashes of color! I find that incorporating elements of nature and texture helps to balance it all out. For example, decorating with warm wood tones and lots of plants naturally creates an “earth tone” palette for the space. This palette includes shades of browns and greens, which, in my opinion, is the perfect base to play around with any color without it being too overwhelming.
If you had to pick one all-time favorite secondhand find, what would it be?
Our TV console is my favorite secondhand find to date. It’s a three-piece teak set, and we bought it for $150 from a couple who bought it in the ‘60s. The low profile is stunning, and because it’s made from teak wood, it’s very easy to maintain with wood oil. Sadly, there’s no maker’s stamp on it… However, it’s likely Danish based on the handles. It’s a piece that we will cherish for our lifetime.
Your living room has such a cozy, inviting feel. What do you think has made the biggest impact when it comes to creating a relaxing ambiance in your home?
LAMPS! I could go on and on about my love for lamps. For our living room, each corner has a light source of varying height, shape, and texture. Each lamp has the same warm, dimmable bulbs that automatically turn on at sunset. Every evening, the living room transforms into a cozy, relaxing space without even thinking about it!
You also share your home with your adorable dog, Zola. Do you have any advice for maintaining furniture around pets?
Invest in a good vacuum! I also recommend having a designated “pet blanket” for them to lay on if they’re allowed up on your furniture. I also love using air purifiers to help with dust and pet hair!
The fuzzy chair in your living room looks like the coziest place to curl up. Where did you find this piece and—more importantly—how do you keep it clean?
I found the fuzzy chair (AKA the Shaggy Sofa Chair by Timothy Oulton) on a secondhand site called Kaiyo. It reminds me of the Y2K-era, shaggy reading pillows I had as a kid. I love how much texture it adds to the space while still being neutral. It’s very comfortable and actually super easy to vacuum!
“Decorate with things that bring you joy, and your style will come naturally.”
Music is a prominent theme in your decor, with a guitar, festival posters, records, and framed concert merch all prominently displayed. What role does music play in your life, and what inspired you to incorporate it in your decor?
I grew up dancing, so music has always played a huge role in my life. I attended an arts college in Chicago where I met my partner Cody, and over the past 13 years, we pursued our dreams side by side (mine in dance, his in music). After working professionally in LA, I have the utmost respect for those working in the industry, including Cody, who is a tour manager for a major artist. We find joy in collecting and displaying our music mementos because they remind us of our journey up until this point, which we’re extremely proud of!
Do you have any advice for people who struggle to find their personal decor style?
Decorate with things that bring you joy, and your style will come naturally. I still don’t know how to describe my personal decor style. But I do know that everything in my home has meaning to me—whether it’s a framed record I love, a pop of color that makes me happy, or a textured throw blanket that I love curling up with. All of these objects reflect your personality and values, making your interior style unique to you!
Your content and approach to design revolve around sustainability. What advice would you give someone who’s looking to start making their home more eco-friendly but unsure where to begin?
In my opinion, the first step to making your home more eco-friendly is to source your furniture and decor secondhand. Start having fun scrolling resale sites! Creating a cycle of life with your furniture is not only sustainable but more affordable. Sell any items you want to get rid of, then take the money you make and put it toward your next secondhand piece of higher quality. There’s always someone out there that will buy what you’re selling, and there’s always someone out there selling your dream item!
In a small apartment, each room needs to serve multiple functions. For instance, your dining room also doubles as your office. What are your top tips for maximizing space and creating distinct areas in a small apartment?
Layout and function are SO important, especially in small spaces. My top tip for maximizing space without compromising on aesthetics is to utilize furniture with hidden storage. Look for pieces with cabinets, drawers, doors, cutouts, etc.
Every room in your apartment features lush, thriving plants, most notably the towering fiddle leaf fig in your dining room. How did your plant collection start and how do you keep them all alive and well?
Our apartment gets a ton of natural light, which is perfect for houseplants! Once we realized how well our fiddle leaf fig was doing, we started adding more… maybe too many! The number one plant care tip I’d recommend to anyone is to water your plants using bottom watering trays. These trays are very inexpensive and rest under your pots/planters. They allow the plant to absorb water from the root, avoiding over-watering and root rot. Plus, it’s much easier to maintain, as you just need to check and see when the tray is empty and fill it back up!
The eclectic gallery wall in your dining room is so eye-catching. Can you tell us about how you curated this collection? Do you have a favorite piece and if so, what’s the story behind it?
The gallery wall came to be through many years of thrifting and collecting! One day, we just decided to wing it and create the full gallery wall with what we had: records, festival posters, thrifted art, gifts, maps, etc. My favorite piece is the vintage Inman Park Festival poster with the butterfly. The poppy red tone has become my favorite color to decorate with, and I love that our Atlanta-based followers recognize it as a beloved festival in their community. It’s such a cool gem that really ties the whole gallery wall together!
In addition to creating content, you also offer interior decorating services. How does your decorating approach differ when you’re working on a client’s space versus your own?
I can make decisions for my own home pretty impulsively. However, working with clients pushes me to refine my vision for the space far in advance of the actual decorating. This is super helpful in communicating with the client, staying within budget, and keeping organized in the sourcing process.
Can you share some of your favorite sources (local or online) where you find unique decor items?
I scroll on Facebook Marketplace every day and find the coolest stuff that I have no use for! Some of my favorite shops for unique finds are the Pasadena Antique Center & Annex and Goods on Orange in Long Beach.
Your bedroom has a warmer, simpler vibe than the rest of your apartment. What kind of energy did you want to create in this room and how did that guide the design?
We wanted our bedroom to feel like a spa. It started when we added bamboo Roman shades—the way the wood tones filtered the light was so nice. From there, we decided on Canyon Dusk by Behr for the paint color. It’s a neutral terracotta that goes with everything, which is perfect since I love to play around with different bedding colors and patterns.
“The best finds are sold by folks who don’t know what they have!”
As someone who frequently shops secondhand for home decor, what are your top tips for finding the best pieces?
The best finds are sold by folks who don’t know what they have! When shopping on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, or Craigslist, make sure you even click on listings with bad photos. If using search words, be super vague (i.e., if you’re looking for a Domino Mobler teak bookshelf, type in “shelf” or “wood shelf”). I can’t express this enough, but we’ve found countless vintage designer pieces for close to nothing (and some free) sold by people who have no idea what they’re worth. Lastly, don’t be afraid to negotiate! Offering cash and a speedy pickup always helps.
Where do you look for design inspiration?
I love Pinterest so much. I also love perusing home decor stores or boutiques just for fun, as well as thrifted coffee table books with interiors of all styles and time periods. And of course, Instagram! My favorite interior decorator to follow is Tim Labenda—I love his use of color and layering.
When you moved in, your bathroom was plain and white-walled. Can you walk us through the transformation to the moody, stylish room it is now?
Our bathroom is very small, and we were stumped on what to do for so long! Finally, I decided to embrace the small room and channel boutique hotel vibes by painting it floor-to-ceiling in dark green. We swapped out some other decor and added more storage, and voilà! A new bathroom that feels moody and much more enticing than a sterile, white, tiny room.
Renting often limits renovation options. What are your favorite renter-friendly hacks for making an apartment feel more like home?
My favorite renter-friendly decorating hacks are painting, changing out your window treatments, replacing fluorescent bulbs with warm smart bulbs, and adding lots of plants!
Having a beautiful outdoor space in a big city is a real treat. What are your favorite ways to enjoy and utilize this area?
The gratitude I have for our outdoor space is huge! We share the deck with our amazing neighbors, and it’s so nice to pop out there daily to say hi, read, or have a beverage. I looooove hosting, and this is the perfect place to do it—we have tons of seating and even a garden cart that functions as a bar when needed.
Do you have any upcoming plans or projects for your apartment?
We recently sourced the coolest mid-century wall-mounted desk that will replace the dining room desk. I’m excited to play around with a new living room layout after the holidays and possibly get a new couch in a fun color! I’m also excited to start decorating for our new client next month.
What does your perfect day at home look like?
My perfect day at home starts by having a leisurely morning drinking coffee and reading on the deck. Then I’d open all the windows and play a record while I tinker around the house, cook a meal, or just hang out. Around golden hour, I’d have my friends over, and we’d sip cocktails, eat snacks, and yap all night. But not too late! Because my perfect day ends with watching Housewives.
Anything else we should know about you or your home?
I feel so lucky to call this work, and I’m honored that people look to Highboy for inspiration!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lauren Blue, Lifestyle Staff Writer
As a Lifestyle Staff Writer for The Everygirl, Lauren ideates and writes content for every facet of our readers’ lives. Her articles span the topics of home decor, delicious recipes, hobbies, travel itineraries—and everything in between. When she isn’t testing the latest TikTok trend, she can be found scouring Instagram for beautiful homes to feature on the site.
